Imagine this situation, you are coming into work. You are the manager. Remember that. You walk past a sales rep and inhale what can be best described as “What the heck? Did you use the soap called rotten food stuffed into a decomposing carcass covered with ass? Or did you just not pay attention to […]
Belief vs. Management
OK, today is a big day. For some it may be the birth of their child. For others, it may be that one day that one client called back. Maybe for some it is a response to their child having their first piano recital (by the way, it was very cool). Maybe it is a […]
Management Radar
Ever messed up, made a mistake or found yourself in a place of “oops”? Of course you have. We all have. Now, what if it has been a series of mistakes or maybe even a perceived series of mistakes and now you are under a microscope, on a short leash or on someone’s radar. How […]
Checking Out
OK, so what if someone checks out? Here is what I mean. In an article in the Globe and Mail on 8 June of this year, author L.M. Sixel espouses “Keep employees engaged or they may ‘retire’ on the job.” This author presents or presented a case that has been discussed in some way or […]
What If you are faced with a very bad day?
Everyone has a bad day. Sometimes it can be a very bad day. Recently Aurora, CO had a very, very bad day. You don’t plan for those kinds of days. As a parent and as a human being, I cannot not say this, even though it has nothing to do with retail store management, this […]
It’s loud today
What is the loudest thing for you today? Is it traffic or your dog? Is it your child? Is it the fact a close friend is going through a tough time? Is it that new standard your supervisor or owner is trying to work in after that manager training session? Isn’t the day big enough […]
managerial therapy / part five / balance
When you became store manager, you knew the job. You maybe knew the people and store. You were aware of the processes and procedures; unless you were hired from outside the company. And I hope you knew retail. What many managers don’t necessarily know is the scope and intensity of the job regarding those things […]
managerial therapy / part four / the peer
When I worked in a large fashion organization, we would have yearly company meetings. All the managers from all over would fly into New York City with the intent to educate, train, prepare and share information, merchandising and product knowledge about the upcoming season and seasons. It would typically be in June or July. So […]
managerial therapy / part three / motivating the motivator
How many of you have had a bad day? I bet I know the answer. What if, God forbid, my wife calls me in my day and says my little Sarah has a fever, would that change my motivation for the day? I bet you know the answer. One of the biggest topics in store […]
managerial therapy / part two / keeping it real
“This…this isn’t real? What is real? How do you define real? If you are talking about what you can feel, what you can smell, what you can taste and see, then real is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain.” (later in scene) “Welcome to the real.” *Neo and Morpheus, The Matrix Being a store […]
Management & Leadership Series: Reflection
52-week series focusing on the character traits that amplify and enhance management and leadership skills. The last installment, Part 52: Reflection (Go to the Resources tab and click Download for the the PDF supporting the video)
Management & Leadership Series: Joy
52-week series focusing on the character traits that amplify and enhance management and leadership skills. Part 51: Joy (Go to the Resources tab and click Download for the the PDF supporting the video)
Management & Leadership Series: Service
52-week series focusing on the character traits that amplify and enhance management and leadership skills. Part 50: Service (Go to the Resources tab and click Download for the the PDF supporting the video)
Management & Leadership Series: Grace & Truth
52-week series focusing on the character traits that amplify and enhance management and leadership skills. Part 49: Grace & Truth (Go to the Resources tab and click Download for the the PDF supporting the video)
Management & Leadership Series: Awareness
52-week series focusing on the character traits that amplify and enhance management and leadership skills. Part 48: Awareness (Go to the Resources tab and click Download for the the PDF supporting the video)
Management & Leadership Series: Respect
52-week series focusing on the character traits that amplify and enhance management and leadership skills. Part 47: Respect (Go to the Resources tab and click Download for the the PDF supporting the video)
Management & Leadership Series: Gratitude
52-week series focusing on the character traits that amplify and enhance management and leadership skills. Part 46: Gratitude (Go to the Resources tab and click Download for the the PDF supporting the video)
Management & Leadership Series: Honesty
52-week series focusing on the character traits that amplify and enhance management and leadership skills. Part 45: Honesty (Go to the Resources tab and click Download for the the PDF supporting the video)
Management & Leadership Series: Courage
52-week series focusing on the character traits that amplify and enhance management and leadership skills. Part 44: Courage (Go to the Resources tab and click Download for the the PDF supporting the video)
Management & Leadership Series: Empowerment
52-week series focusing on the character traits that amplify and enhance management and leadership skills. Part 43: Empowerment (Go to the Resources tab and click Download for the the PDF supporting the video)
Coaching Awareness; a 4-Part chat from 2012
This series proceeds the Coaching Steps podcast. Consider this a moment or two to contemplate coaching and what is behind it.
Coaching Steps; a 5-Part chat from 2012
Coaching can be defined in so many different ways. Is it a sit down or on the fly? Is it challenging, enabling, encouraging, sharing or modeling? Is it training? This is a five part series tales a simple look to see at the what, why, how and to what extent.
Sales & Service; a 4-Part Chat from 2012
Don’t over-complicate the sales and service reality in the retail environment. Keep it simple.
Prioritization
This podcast explores how an idea moves from realization to doing-ness. This is a first of a series of ad lib discussions.
Non-Compliance Podcast
This podcast is meant to add consideration to the blog posts. It highlights two specific ways to look at non-compliance.
Intro to Communication in Retail
This podcast introduces the upcoming blog series on communication in retail. It will look first at what precedes communication. The subsequent postings will cover aspects and tactics within the act of communication, especially with your team and the customer.
Managing Retail during the Holidays; Part Two
This represents our second glance into managing, leading and executing in the retail environment during a very busy time of year. This part looks at how you work with you team.
Managing Retail during the Holidays; Part One
Are you a new retail manager? Do you know what you do not know? The goal of this podcast series is to look at three aspects of managing retail during the crazy time of year. Each part will share insight from a different lens.
Motivation & Generations; Part Two
This moves from the generational environment to the individual choice machine. You decide your own motivation and as manager the best you can do is influence another motivation.
Motivation & Generations; Part One
This podcast is part one of a series meant to look at motivation. Generations matter in the workplace and this is the starting point to better manage how people make decisions.